Mayoral Candidate Facebook Pages

Having covered it for so long, I’m getting a little bored of the seemingly never-ending Mayor’s race. But just as I grow weary of the same eleven weirdos all agreeing in how much Muni sucks, regular San Franciscans are just starting to pay attention. Thus, I’ve decided to revisit my tried and true method for getting to know your candidates for public office.

Bill Wilson

“So Ed, first you log onto the world wide web…”

That’s right, it’s Facebook Profile Page time!

As usual, those mayoral contenders who reveal fun and personal details get the most (positive) attention, as well they should. While it’s important to educate ourselves on the political differences of the candidates, it might also help to know who is a Capricorn and who watches “Breaking Bad.”

Because while we all (apparently) want someone who will fix Muni, it’d also be nice to know that our candidates are human, even if that means they watch “Glee.” (I’m talking to you, Dufty.)

Jeff Adachi: Currently the San Francisco Public Defender, Jeff Adachi is married and his birthday is on Monday. (Happy Birthday Jeff!) Listed among his “Interests and Activities” are The Campaign to End the Death Penalty, SF Usual Suspects and Dennis Herrera for Mayor.

Michela Alioto-Pier: Michela has a really boring Facebook profile. She went to UCLA and she’s running for Mayor. That is literally all the former Supervisor is willing to reveal on Facebook. I can understand people who aren’t into Facebook. They’re worried about the whole privacy thing, not wanting to hear from weirdos, etc. But being Mayor of San Francisco involves a distinct lack of privacy, and I am 100% positive hearing from weirdos is a major part of the job.

John Avalos: Apparently John Avalos went to Andover High School. I cannot tell if John attended the prestigious Massachusetts boarding school, or a lesser Andover. He’s a fan of The Clash, “Raising Arizona” and “The Conversation.” (Ooh, a Gene Hackman fan!) Listing his two interests, Avalos chose Social Justice and World Peace. His second-most recently tagged photo is a very cute and snuggly photo with his wife.

David Chiu: Board President Chiu doesn’t appear to have a personal Facebook page, just a “Politician” page, which includes nothing personal about the guy other than his “like” of the San Francisco Giants and President Barack Obama. Considering that Chiu is a known electric violin musician, you’d think he could throw a little pizazz into his social media. From this, we can only surmise that David Chiu hates books, movies and music.

Tony Hall: Like David Chiu, Tony Hall only has a Facebook fan page, but unlike David Chiu, Tony Hall can use the excuse that’s he’s old and doesn’t know how to use Facebook. To his credit, the former supervisor has posted a rad photo of his band in the swingin’ 70’s. Sideburns are involved. His ‘About Me’ begins, “My name is Tony Hall, and I am honored you are visiting my Facebook page.”

Dennis Herrera: Reclining in a leather chair, the City Attorney’s Facebook profile picture let’s us know right away we’re about to share a moment with Dennis Herrera. Dennis is a fan of ESPN Sports Center, golf, “One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest,” Jason Mraz (embarrassing), Nirvana and THE REMAKE of “The Manchurian Candidate.” So basically, Herrera’s page is the personal taste opposite of Dufty’s.

Ed Lee: Mayor Ed Lee does not have a personal Facebook page because he is a total dad. I can’t even imagine some tech intern trying to slowly walk Ed Lee towards a laptop and explain to him the concepts of “tagging” and “liking.” He would smile and nod, but there is no way Edwin Lee is going to log on to social media and ‘thumbs up’ someone’s check-in at Mighty. (I would, however, like to see Mayor Lee list his relationship as “it’s complicated” with Rose Pak.)

Joanna Rees: While not totally packed, Joanna Rees at least provides some personal info on her Facebook page. She’s friends with her son, which is a nice reminder to me to be grateful that my folks are not on Facebook. Joanna’s birthday is 6 days after election day, she got her MBA from Columbia and she’s a fan of A1 Vintage and Rare Cufflinks.

Phil Ting: Assessor-Recorder Ting’s Facebook profile picture is a snapshot of him laughing with his little girl. A Harvard graduate, Phil is a fan of Bevan Dufty, Michela Alioto-Pier, David Chiu, Dennis Herrera for Mayor and Hooman.

Leland Yee: Doctor Leland Yee (University of Hawaii at Manoa in child psychology) is into Moby and the Street Sheet. The State Senator is tagged in 982 photos and doesn’t look to shabby for being a whopping 62 years old. I had no idea Leland was a senior citizen. Senator Yee also lists his gmail address, which I will not post here because that’s not cool. But you need to know that it rhymes.

And there you have them. Your 2011 candidates for Mayor of San Francisco on the Facebook. This is probably exactly what the founding fathers had in mind when they created America.

Beth Spotswood has posted weekly on the Culture Blog for 4 years and still struggles when folks ask her to define “a blog.” None the less, she posts twice a week for SFGate and all day long over at her desk in the CBS San Francisco newsroom. You can follow her on Twitter, watch her co-anchor the political satire show Necessary Conversation or run into her in the real world, where she also exists.